I was reading a site where the author listed the following 3 barriers for companies in terms of acceptance/involvement in Social Media Marketing:
1. The Business Case: most need hard data to justify the investment of time, energy and resources (people) in social media.
2. Limited Understanding and Resources: few brand marketers know what to do, where to start or how to plan and budget for a social media campaign.
3. Scarce Capabilities: While there's no shortage of self-proclaimed SM experts, great players are not necessarily great coaches. Few have the knowledge and skills to develop a strategic plan. Twitter is a tool, not a strategy.
Admittedly, I have dealt with 1 & 2 recently but are these barriers also to companies developing online communities once they have gotten into social media marketing? I know it sounds like an odd question but I have heard of companies who get themselves all set up with social media channels and then start to ask 'Now What?' once their presence is established.